Wright



(No Model.)

H. S. WAINWRIGHT. CURTAIN FIXTURE.

No. 460,937. Patented Oct. 6, 1891.

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NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY SMITH \VAINXVRIGHT, OF ASIIFORD, ENGLAND.

CURTAIN- FIXTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,937, dated October6, 1891.

Application filed June 30, 1890. Serial No. 357,303. (No model.)Patented in England February 3, 1890, No.1,832, and in France June 5,1890,1To. 206,171.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, HARRY SMITH WAIK- WRIGHT, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Ashford, in the county of Kent,England, have invented Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures, (for whichEnglish Patent No. 1,832, dated February 3, 1890, and French Patent No.206,171, dated June 5, 1890, have been obtain ed,) ofwhich the followingis a specification.

My invention has reference to self-acting window-blind apparatus such asused for railway-carriage blinds, wherein a roller to which the upperedge of the blind is secured is so mounted that it can be rotated in onedirection namely, to wind up the blind by the action of a suitablespring or springs and in the reverse direction by pulling the blind tolower it; and my invention has reference to the construction ofselfacting windowblind apparatus of this description with a retainingbrake in which a ball (or there may be more than one) is caused by the.action of a spring to bear against a surface formed with cavities,recesses, or indentations, arranged in an annular row concentric withthe blind-roller. ith such an arrangement the pressure exerted by thebrakespring through the ball can be so adjusted as to cause the rollerto be prevented from rotating whether the blind be up or down or inanyintermediate position, but so, nevertheless, that the blind can beeither wholly or partially pulled down or raised by hand, and whenreleased by thehand will remain practically in the raised, lowered, orintermediate position to which it has been drawn or lifted. It will beunderstood that when the blind is pulled to lower it the resistance ofthe brake is overcome by the pull applied to the blind, and when thelower edge of the blind is lifted the blind-roller is rotated to wind upthe blind by the action of the spring or springs that normally acts oract to raise and wind the blind upon its roller.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal central sectionof self-acting Window-blind apparatus according to this invention. Fig.2 is a View of the outer side of the disk carrying the brake-ball. Figs.3 and 4. are respectively a side elevation and a View of the inner sideof the disk with springholder carried thereby. Figs. 5 and 6 arerespectively a face view and a central sec tion of part of one of theroller-brackets or supports formed with an indented or waved surfaceagainst which the brake-ball bears. Figs. '7 and 8 are similar vie s toFigs. 5 and 6, respectively, illustrating a modified form of indentedsurface. Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a further modified form of indentedsurface. -Fig. 11 illustrates a further modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, 1 is a tubular roller to which theblind 1 is at tached. \Vithin it is arranged a stationary rod 2, aroundwhich is wound or coiled a spring 3, one end of which is secured to therod and the other to the roller. The rod 2, which passes through ahollow plug 1*, secured within one end of the cylinder, and for which itserves as a bearing, is held at one end in a suitable bracket at and atthe other end extends through a disk 5, secured within the roller.

6 is a disk formed at one side of its center with a hole 7 and a seat 8for a ball 9, forming part of a retaining-brake. This disk is secured tothe roller 1 and has on its inner side a hollow cylinder 10, containinga rod 11 with cup or bearing 12 for the ball, and a spring 13, that actsat one end against a cup or bearing 12, and at the other end against aback plate 14, secured to the cylinder 10, and in such a manner as tonormally keep the ball to its seat.

11 is a pin screwed or otherwise secured to the disk 6 at its center.This pin, made of suitable material-401' example, steel has a bearing ina fixed bracket 15, and at its outer end has riveted upon it a washer 16in such a manner that the pin and washer can turn freely in the bracket15 when the roller rotates.

17 is a screw-plug that closes the hole in which the washer 16 works.

The surface 18 of the bracket 15 adjacent to the disk 6, and againstwhich the ball 9 acts, as shown in Fig. 1, and over which it rolls whenthe blind is pulled down or wound up, is made of waved form, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1, 5, and G, the grooved or indented parts of the surfacebeing arranged in an annular row concentric to the axis of theblindroller. The pressure exerted by the spring 13 upon the ball is soadjusted that the resistance offered by the indented surface to motionof the roller is suificient to hold the blind practically in anyposition in which it is left after being drawn down or lifted, but notsuch as to prevent the blind being pulled down by hand or Wound up bythe spring 3 when its lower weighted edge is lifted.

The action of *the apparatus is as follows: The blind is pulled down byhand against the action of the spring 3, which is thereby partiallycoiled, and the drawing up of the blind when its lower weighted edge 1is lifted is effected by the reaction of this spring, the blind, whenreleased, being retained practically in any position to which it hasbeen drawn or lifted by the action of the ball against the indentedsurface 18.

The bracket 15, instead of having a waved surface 18, as just described,can be formed with an annular row of cavities or recesses 18, of curvedform in cross-section, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and in one or otherofwhich the ball 9 rests when the blind is released; or the bracket may bemade with an annular groove 18 of curved form in cross-section, as shownin Figs. 9 and 10, for the brake-ball to run in. The surface of thegroove may be either waved or smooth, or the bracket may have aprojecting part carrying the ball, which acts against; the smootherindented grooved or channeled periphery of the disk, the ball or ballsbeing inclosed between such disk and projection, as in Fig. 11.-

As will be obvious, a retaining-brake such as described may be arrangedin various ways. Thus the ball'9, with its spring attachment, can beattached to the fixed bracket 15 and the surface formed with cavities,recesses, or indentations, and against which the ball acts, can be fixedto and revolve with the roller; also, two or more balls may be used inany of the arrangements mentioned, each ball being acted upon by aspring, as described, arranged in a cylinder carried by and to one sideof the center of the perforated disk 5. These modifications will bereadily understood from the foregoing description without the-aid ofadditional drawings.

The ball 9 can with advantage be made about five-sixteenths of an inchin diameter perforated disk or plate,'a cup or and be of ebony,gun-metal, white-metal, or steel; but gun-metal is preferred, owing toits smooth action and non-corrosive qualities. The recessed or indentedsurface against which the ball acts is also preferably of gunmetal.

What I claim is- 1. In self-acting Window-blind apparatus, thecombination, with the tubular blind-roller 1, of a blind 1", weighted atits lower edge, brackets 4 and 15 for said roller, a stationary rod 2,held by said bracket and serving as a bearing for one end of saidroller, a coiled spring'3, secured at one end to said roller and at theother end to said rod, a disk 6,'secured toone end of said roller,journaled to said bracket 15, and formed with a hole 7 and a seat for aball, a ball 8, carried by and arranged to partly project through saiddisk, an indented or waved surface 18, arranged adjacent to said diskand carried by said bracket 15, a cup or bearing 12 for said ball, and aspring 13, arranged to act against said cup or hearing and force saidball against said surface, substantially as herein described, for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a self-acting window-blind apparatus having a main spring to Windthe blind-roller in one direction, a blind weighted at its lower edge, aretaining-brake comprising a perforated disk or plate carrying aspring-holder, a part having a recessed or indented surface, a ballarranged to partly project through said bearing for said ball, and aspring arranged Within'said spring-holder and adapted to act againstsaid cup or bearing and cause said ball to bear against said surface,said perforated disk or plate and part with recessed or indented surfacebeing pivoted together and so constructed that the one can be secured toone end of a 5 blind-roller and the other to a window-frame or otherfixed support, substantially as herein described, for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of me two subscribing witnesses HARRY SMITH WVAINVRIGHT.

Witnesses:

JNo. R. HOWARD,

Church Lane, Willsborough, Kent. F. E. WINTER,

MO lVew Town, Ashford, Kent.

